


The Cleansing

by baberahamlinkin



Category: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Canonical Character Death, Characters to be added later, Darth Maul Lives, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, Gore, Gray Jedi, Hurt/Comfort, I can finally rewrite this now that I know what happens in the trilogy, Lesbian Character, Lesbians in Space, Lightsaber Battles, Lightsabers, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Sith Training, The First Order Sucks, Violence, also fuck kylo ren i hate him, fuck the first order!!!, kai's an asshole but she's rey's asshole, they're gay and they're in love, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baberahamlinkin/pseuds/baberahamlinkin
Summary: There is little place in Kai's life for kindness or mercy. She's been stolen from her family, stolen from those she loves, and cast aside like nothing. So here she is, with nothing to lose, fighting for the wrong side of an ongoing war... until she meets Rey, of course, and everything changes.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Rey (Star Wars)/Original Female Character(s), Rey Skywalker/Kai Oppress (OC), Rey Skywalker/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this story on FanFiction.net a few years ago. The writing wasn't the best, and neither was the story, but I've revamped Kai and I plan on following through with this version of the story, at least I aim on trying to. Many things in the original work have/will be changed; and I hope that this version will be just as liked as the original.

Kai’s head is spinning and her mouth tastes like sand as she trudges across the desert, sweat beading on her scarred skin. Her deactivated lightsaber feels uncharacteristically heavy in her hands, almost as if it is weighing her slumped body down. Kai’s left leg, her robotic one, buckles as she takes a wrong step and the young woman topples to the ground. The robotic appendage has been damaged in battle as well, and it has been growing increasingly difficult to walk. The hot afternoon sand burns her palms, but Kai is too angry to care about it. She screams, an enraged sound that pierces her own ears and made Kai flinch. She’s been wounded in battle, abandoned on this desolate desert planet, and Kai is most likely going to die… there is no doubt in her feverish mind. She has no food, no water, and no shelter from the burning sun. 

So for once in her short life, Kai gives up. Kai has been wandering alone for nearly five days now. She deserves this much she tells herself as she manages to roll onto her back. Kai grits her blood stained teeth in pain and presses a sand-covered hand to her wounded hip. Instantly, Kai draws her hand away from the burned, blistered flesh that covers the blaster wound and cries out in pain. Tears well in her brilliant green eyes as she whimpers and instead decides to assess the stab wound in her stomach. It is deep, caused by metal scrap and debris, and probably fatal. 

_ So yes, _ Kai thinks as she stares up at the flaring sun,  _ this is it _ . Blood, her blood, dribbles from the corners of her lips as she allows herself a single, pitiful cough she’s been holding in her chest for a long time. Her blood splatters against the white sand and against her hair, which is splayed delicately around her head, as she slowly moves her left hand to rest upon her stomach- just above the stab wound- and allows her right hand to release the hilt of her lightsaber. Kai doesn’t need the blade anymore, not in death. 

_ Please make this quick. _ Kai begs to whatever gods lay beyond the stars, though she is not in a position to deny her well-deserved suffering. Kai can almost hear the immortals sneering and snickering at Kai begging for that which she’s denied to so many… mercy. Waves of pain and exhaustion flood Kai’s body as her vision begins to fade in and out, almost like a telescope shifting focus, as the echoes and toils of war play over and over in Kai’s dwindling consciousness. The dying woman is hardly aware of the sand shifting delicately beside her, but she is made aware as soon as a silhouetted figure appears and stands over Kai. Kai’s reddened eyes sluggishly move to try and make sense of this imposing figure, but her floundering consciousness can’t seem to make sense of anything anymore. Kai can faintly feel the figure pulling Kai’s limp body upright, blood still dripping from the corners of her mouth, as everything begins to fade to black. 

* * *

A surge of energy that jolts through Kai’s body- first at the base of where her mechanical leg ends and then up her side- is the first thing that Kai is aware of before all the sensations her lifeless body should’ve been feeling comes rushing at her. She is made aware of a veil of fabric beneath her- a hammock, perhaps?- which keeps Kai suspended on her back. The second sensation is someone’s hand resting on Kai’s bare, exposed midriff and the third is the cloth wrapped securely around her wounds. The tangy smell of oil hits Kai’s nose as the heat of the planet she’s trapped on begins to wrap around Kai’s already sweaty skin. Kai’s ears are beginning to pick up the sounds of metal upon metal, which is slightly grating, as she tries to open her bleary eyes. For some reason, opening her own eyes is the hardest thing Kai has done in her entire life. At first her muscles don’t want to work and they seem to scream at Kai in defiance, but after what seems like an eternity Kai is finally able to open her eyes. At first everything is muddled and smeared together, like a ruined painting, but each time Kai blinks the picture becomes clearer. The gray blob above Kai is a roof, and there are walls surrounding her. There are tools and scraps tossed all around the floor, some covered in sand, along with items Kai hasn’t seen before. 

The last thing Kai is made aware of- and she is being made  _ increasingly  _ aware- is the person sitting on Kai’s lap. Kai’s cheeks flush red- redder than usual, really, and she isn’t sure if the blush is attributed to embarrassment, rage, or the fact she is simply flustered- as the person, oblivious to Kai’s awakening, continues to tinker on Kai’s damaged leg. The stranger’s capable hands replace damaged wires and mechanical tendons with a skilled ease Kai has never seen before. The stranger holds a wrench between her teeth, her brow furrowed in concentration as she works. The girl shifts her weight onto one of Kai’s wounds in frustration, to which Kai involuntarily cries out and jerks away. 

Kai doesn’t think she’s ever seen anyone shoot to their feet so fast, but within a split second the stranger is on her feet and nearly four feet away. Her concentrated stare is replaced with one of suspicion and surprise as the stranger fumbles to grab a discarded quarterstaff as a weapon. Kai’s own curiosity- if it had even been such- and wonder has been replaced with suspicion. Kai props herself up on her elbows, despite her body’s pained protests, to glower at the stranger.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Kai seethes, though she doesn’t mean to sound so angry- deep down, Kai is more scared than upset. “Why didn’t you let me die?” Kai stares down at her exposed chest, her bandaged abdomen, and her tattered pants- her right pant leg is intact; but her left pant leg has been torn just above the knee, right where flesh melds with metal. “Where are my clothes?”

“Who are  _ you _ ?” The stranger snaps back, her grip tightening on the quarterstaff. Kai blinks in surprise, she honestly hadn’t thought the stranger would use Kai’s own question against her. Kai licks her lips uneasily, somehow managing to retain her aggressive glare, and takes a moment to figure out how to answer the stranger’s question. If Kai answers truthfully, there is a chance the stranger will turn on her; however, if Kai lies…

“Kai Fisk.” Kai tells the stranger. “My name is Kai Fisk. Who are you?” The stranger stares at Kai for a good while before she slowly lowers her quarterstaff. She doesn’t set it down, not yet, but she keeps a steady eye on Kai and approaches once more- though she stops a foot or two away.

“Rey.” The stranger tells Kai. “My name is Rey. Why were you out in the desert?” 

Kai blinks again and struggles to find an answer, “I, uh… I was travelling with a band of traders,” Kai begins slowly, “and we were attacked. I was the only survivor. I didn’t know what to do… so I just started walking.” Kai casts her eyes to the side to try and make it seem like she’s overwhelmed. She has to sell the act, she has to make herself seem believable. 

“You’re a trader?” Rey asks skeptically. “Then how’d you get such a nice leg?” Again, Kai falters. Of course, her leg would be a factor.

“I, ah… I saved up. A lot.” Kai tries to make herself sound earnest. “It took quite a long time.”

“Who attacked you?” Rey asks, her eyes still narrowed. 

“It was dark.” Kai responds, her gaze locked steadily onto Rey’s. “I don’t know.” That time Kai hadn’t told a complete lie. It had been dark during the fight, and Kai hadn’t seen which of those goddamned stormtroopers had shot her. Rey stares at Kai again, the silence between them thicker than a Dagobah swamp, for another eternity before she finally leans the quarterstaff against the wall. As Rey sets her weapon aside, Kai groggily pushes herself into a sitting position. First she swings her human leg over the side of the hammock, bracing herself as the fabric flutters beneath her unsteadily, before she rotates her mechanical leg curiously. The robotic ankle respondes easily considering Kai’s force abilities- though its movements are much smoother than it had been in days prior. Of course, the robotic appendage no longer appears human either- seeing as though the synthflesh has been torn from it in the fight and from Rey’s tinkering- and Kai glowers at it. Kai hates her prosthetic, it reminds her of everything she’s lost, and her forbidden past. 

Kai decides she’ll need to find- or even steal- more synthflesh soon, because there is no way she is going to look at her robot leg for very long; however, she pushes the thoughts aside and slowly swings her robotic leg over the side of the hammock too. She wiggles the mechanical toes, staring at them before she looks back up at Rey.

“Did you fix my leg?” Kai asks, her tone still a little more aggressive than she means it to be… Kai’s people skills aren’t the best. Rey glances at Kai, then down to Kai’s leg, and furrows her brow.

“Yeah, it was broken and I… thought you were dead.” Rey scratches the side of her head. “I mean, I bandaged you up and all… but when someone’s still for three days…” Rey shrugs, leaving the air open for Kai to put the pieces together. 

Kai narrows her eyes and asks a question she already knows the answer to, “Then why would you fix my leg?” 

“Scrap.” Rey replies with brutal honesty as she folds her well-muscled arms over her chest. “If you were dead, you wouldn’t need it.” Rey’s right, but still- Kai isn’t too fond of anyone taking her leg… even if she despises it. Afterall, Kai still needs to walk. Rey glances at Kai’s mechanical leg again- almost longingly, as if it would’ve brought her something wonderful-, before her eyes drift up to meet Kai’s.

“Don’t ask-” Kai begins, but Rey beats her to it.

“How’d you lose it?” Rey blurts, drowning out Kai’s meager plea of closure. Kai sighs and presses her fingers to her temples, already annoyed with all the questions. She’s known Rey all of ten minutes, and she’s already ‘questioned out’. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Kai grumbles, exasperated. She moves to stand up, but her legs buckle beneath her. Rey swoops forward, her arms locking around Kai’s waist, to keep the taller woman from striking the ground. The situation is purely comical- and had it happened to someone else, Kai would’ve snickered- but there she is, nestled against the stranger girl’s chest; another embarrassed and enraged blush reaching her features.

Rey heaves Kai back onto the hammock with a small grunt, “You shouldn’t stand yet. After all, you  _ were  _ dead.”

“ _ Please _ ,” Kai mutters, rolling her eyes, “I’ve been through worse. I think I can stand on my own kriffing feet.”

“Obviously you can’t.” Rey says pointedly, crossing her arms against her chest again. “You nearly fell. And you didn’t even thank me for fixing your leg!” Again she frowns, gesturing to the mechanical appendage.

Kai glares up at Rey, “You were going to scrap my leg!”

“But I fixed it first!” Rey says, earnest. Kai simply rolls her eyes and grumbles to herself, bending to examine her leg. She’s not too great with mechanical things or technology, but she’s not a fool- and she knows what her leg is supposed to look like. Kai’s not sure whether she’s relieved or disappointed when she finds Rey hasn’t tampered with her leg, and she has in fact improved it. Deep down, part of Kai wishes Rey  _ had _ tampered with it… mostly so that way maybe it would kill Kai, who darkly wishes her suffering to end. As Kai looks over her leg, Rey also says, “And you’re welcome for tending to your wounds.” 

For a moment, Kai wants to snap- but she doesn’t. Instead, she takes in a deep breath and tries to center herself; exhaling as she does so. Instead, she mutters a simple “thank you”, which seems to satisfy Rey. After a moment of awkward silence, Rey picks up her tools and begins to pack them away. Kai finds herself watching, wanting to make sure Rey doesn’t make any sudden moves, up until Rey makes her way back to Kai’s side and looks at her expectantly.

“What?” Kai grunts, eyes narrowing. Rey points at Kai’s stab wound, which has begun to bleed again from Kai’s movements. 

“This is yours, right?” Rey asked, offering Kai a familiar object. Kai took it, examining her lightsaber intently. The hilt alone is nearly two feet tall, made from an epoch saber body with a commando switch and a black lotus emitter. At the end of the epoch body is a ten inch staff extension, giving Kai the advantage of a lengthier weapon in battle. All in all, the saber tapered off with an almost knife-like pommel at the butt of the staff. The saber’s familiar weight is reassuring in Kai’s competent hand, and she’s tempted to ignite it- but she doesn’t. She doesn’t want to frighten Rey, and she doesn’t want to initiate a fight. 

“Yes.” Kai responds, bringing the hilt closer to her chest- as if it were a newborn. “Thank you for not scrapping it. It’s very valuable… to me.” Kai adds, just in case she gives Rey the wrong idea and the scavenger takes it in Kai’s sleep. Kai tucks the saber hilt beside her, and slowly turns to look at Rey again. Now it’s Kai’s turn to ask questions, “What planet is this?” 

“Jakku.” Rey responds as she turns her back to Kai, rummaging through a compartment in the wall. Kai watches, curious, and tilts her head to the side. She’s not quite sure what Rey’s doing. 

“You live here alone?” Kai asks, still watching Rey intently. She’s grabbed something from the compartment, and is carrying it over to the dusty, sandy corner. 

“Who else would I live with?” Rey asks dryly, quirking an eyebrow as she glances back at Kai. 

“Your family, I’d wager to guess.” Kai responds, once again swinging her legs over the side of the hammock. Kai isn’t used to sitting in one place for more than a few moments, and she’s growing restless. 

“You’d be wrong, then.” Rey tells Kai, “And don’t you dare get up. I’m not going to catch you again.” Kai only glares at the back of Rey’s head, slowly pressing her feet against the floor. Her mechanical foot clinks against the metallic surface curiously; whereas her other foot is silent. It would appear, Kai realizes, that her boots are missing as well.

“Where are my clothes?” Kai asks, frowning slightly. She’s just realizing that she is, in fact, basically naked. Rey gestures to a pile of robes in the corner, piled unceremoniously in the sand. Kai grumbles half-heartedly, not too pleased with the idea her clothes are going to be full of sand… though, to be fair, they’d probably gotten sand in them prior to Rey finding her anyway. Kai reverts her mind to the task at hand, mentally chiding herself to try and focus. She grips the edge of the hammock and prepares to stand again when Rey finally turns and offers Kai a stern glare.

“Stay down.” Rey insits, placing a hand upon Kai’s shoulder and forcing her back before she gestures to Kai’s patched up stomach wound. “You’ll tear your stitches, and I don’t think I have anymore to help you.” Kai grumbles as she’s pushed back down like a mere child, but she doesn’t resist… not yet. Rey returns to whatever it is she’s working on… Kai moves her head to peer around Rey, trying to get a better look at what’s going on, and finds that the scavenger is boiling two small cups of water. Rey dumps a packet of powder into each cup, and Kai watches as the powder expands into polystarch bread. She places each cup onto a larger metal plate topped with three slabs of green… stuff. Kai hasn’t seen it before, but Rey offers her one of the plates. 

“What is this?” Kai asks, eyes narrowing as she takes the plate. Perhaps Rey is trying to poison her.

“You’re a trader, aren’t you?” Rey asks. “Shouldn’t you know?” 

“I’m not from around here.” Kai responds haughtily. “I don’t know everything.” 

Rey sighs, “It’s veg-meat and polystarch. I thought you might be hungry, so I made you one of my rations. If you’re not from here, where’d you come from?” 

“I am hungry… thank you.” Kai forces the words from her mouth, uncomfortable with how foreign they feel. She watches Rey sit upon the stoop of her home’s entrance- by now, Kai’s realized that they’re inside an old overturned AT-AT- and thinks of how to respond to Rey’s question. For once in her life, Kai decides to answer honestly, “I was born on Dathomir… but I’ve been many places.” 

“You’re Dathomirian?!” Rey exclaims- suddenly excited, perhaps because Kai isn’t a Jakku native. Kai hopes Rey’s not excited because she’s heard of Darth Maul, though Kai decides it wouldn’t be a horrible crime to be recognized with that particular Dathomirian, after all… 

“I’m  _ half _ Dathomirian-Zabrak.” Kai corrects. “My father was one. My mother was human.”

“Where are your tattoos? Where are your…” Rey trails off, gesturing to her head as she devours her food, implying she meant Kai’s horns. Kai slowly takes a bite of the polystarch bread, not too pleased with how hard and dry it is- but it’s food nonetheless- as she develops an answer.

“I don’t have horns… but I have these,” Kai tells Rey. She gestures to her forehead, where three pebble-sized lithoderms had developed above each of her eyes. “My mother thought they’d develop horns for a while, but I suppose I was lucky.” 

“And your tattoos?”

“I never wanted any.” Kai responds as she bites into a slab of veg-meat, though that wasn’t entirely true… Kai’s mother just hadn’t wanted Kai to receive any, not that Kai minded or really cared now. Rey nods in response to this, apparently satisfied by Kai’s answer. Rey finished her meal much more quickly than Kai did, though Kai didn’t care about that either- she’s too busy mulling everything over in her mind, trying to figure everything out. Being stranded on Jakku is going to put a rather sizeable damper on her mission, but Kai’s certain she’ll eventually push through this. After all, there’s got to be some sort of port that she can escape from. She’s barely noticed Rey getting up and placing her plate elsewhere. Rey grabs her quarterstaff and a garment to protect her face from the desert sand. This, Kai notices. 

“You’re leaving?” Kai asks airlily, blinking in confusion. 

Rey nods, “It’s getting late, and I have scrap to bring to the Niima Outpost… if I’m going to support the two of us, we’ll need more food.” 

Kai scowls, “I don’t need you to support me. I can take care of myself.” Rey looks at Kai skeptically, who averts her eyes and glares at the wall. 

“Either way,” Rey continues, ignoring Kai’s words, “you need to rest. I’ll check on your wounds once I’m back. Promise you won’t do anything stupid.”

“Do you take me for a fool?” Kai asks dryly, folding her arms over her chest. Rey doesn’t deem an answer, and instead she heads toward the back of the AT-AT and toward a custom made repulsorlift vehicle, one Kai assumes Rey built herself. Attached to the speeder is a net full of old, slightly rusted and sandy parts. Kai doubts any of it is worth much, but she knows nothing of Jakku’s economy. Just before Rey is about to leave, Kai blurts the question that’s been lingering on her mind since she could comprehend it, “Why are you doing this?”

Rey pauses, confused, “Doing what?” 

“Helping me.” Kai states, frowning. “Why are you helping me? Why didn’t you just leave me to die?” 

“It seemed like the right thing to do.” Rey says. “I couldn’t leave you to die.” Kai’s brows knit together. She hasn’t met anyone who  _ didn’t _ want her dead before; and to her credit, Kai isn’t the most loveable or well-regarded person… but this is, admittedly, a nice change of pace.

“Thank you.” Kai says after a long, long while. And this time, she truly means it.


	2. Chapter 2

_ She watches from the distance, outside her own body, as her Father spins her around upon his broad shoulders, a loud and joyous laugh leaving his lips as they play. Her Mother is watching closely, a bemused smile upon her twisted features. She can’t make out anything other than the curve of her Mother’s lips, her face is otherwise blurred and so is her Father’s. There is no detail to pick them apart from, nothing in her memory to tell her who they are. She thinks she’s laughing, too, but she can’t quite tell because this is a memory that she has- but one that no longer seems to exist, like it’s been stolen. She wants to go closer, see every detail for herself, try and remember, but she can’t seem to get her body to move. But her Mother looks at her, her features still distorted and blurry, and in a voice that she can’t quite place her Mother speaks, “We’re waiting, my Star,” and- _

_ The scene changes. _

_ She is in darkness, in her own body. She can’t feel anything, she can’t hear anything, and she obviously can’t see anything. She fumbles through the emptiness, trying to find a wall or even something to guide her as she slowly stalks through this unrelenting shadow. Even without her sight, she continues walking and walking until the darkness lifts and she’s upon the Starkiller base.  _

_ Her breathing quickens. _

_ When she turns around, the darkness is still there; beckoning to her, calling her back.  _

_ She doesn’t want to go back, so she goes forward. _

_ Behind her, a lightsaber ignites and Kai freezes. She slowly turns, icy fear creeping through her entire being as a burning red light fills the darkness behind her. Kai knows that light, she knows who it belongs to. She can’t fight him, she’s unarmed, and when she tries to use the force to keep him away her powers fail her. _

**_Kai._ **

_ A voice, female, one Kai knows but can’t place. She turns, drawn to it, and the saber enters her belly and- _

“Kai-”

Kai jolts awake and shoots upright. She grabs the hand that’s settled upon her abdomen, her fingers curling around the wrist belonging to said hand. Kai’s breathing is rapid and erratic as the hand is wrought from her grip. Kai’s own hands are shaking now as she realizes where she is and who is touching her- she’s still in the AT-AT, and the hands on her skin belong to Rey. Rey stares at Kai, a little startled and a little confused.

“Are you okay-?” Rey begins, but Kai shakes her head aggressively.

“ _ Don’t _ .” She manages to say through panting breaths. It then occurs to her that there’s warmth pooling in her stomach, and when she looks down there’s crimson spreading across her body. She must’ve torn through her stitches when she woke up. At first she thinks this is also a dream, so she presses her hand against the soaked bandage and when she lifts her hand back up it comes back bloodied. Rey instantly begins searching for something while Kai just stares at the wound, her mind hazy from the sight of her own blood. It’s a cruel sense of irony, Kai guesses, since she’s spilt so much blood in her lifetime and yet she can’t stand the sight of her own. 

“Lay down, lay down!” Rey says. She’s holding something in her left hand, and she uses her right hand to push Kai down. Rey presses a rag to Kai’s wound, trying her best to soak up the blood that’s pouring through the stab wound. Kai licks her lips uneasily, her eyes staring at Rey’s now bloodied hand as well. Rey’s speaking to Kai, and Kai can see her lips moving but she can’t quite make out what she’s saying- she’s in shock, her mind can’t comprehend anything. 

**_The Force._ ** A voice, distant, in the back of her head tells her. Kai doesn’t know what that means, but she slowly clasps a shaking hand over Rey’s. They lock eyes momentarily, Rey more confused than anything, as Kai tries to focus her breathing. She needs to  _ focus _ , she tells herself, to manipulate the Force. Kai exhales slowly, closing her eyes, and for some reason Rey feels the need to mimic Kai’s actions. Kai breathes in and out, steadying herself, and she feels something brush against her consciousness- a curious touch, a mind Kai isn’t familiar with-, but Kai pays it no mind. She feels the familiar pull of the Force in her stomach, a twinge in her gut that Kai’s grown fond of. Kai can senses the Force working its magic, she can feel the bleeding come to a stop. 

When Kai releases Rey’s hand, she’s exhausted; but the wound has closed, and it’s now a ragged scar upon her skin. Kai slumps backward, her eyes meeting Rey’s once more as the scavenger curiously looks at her own hand. She looks just as tired as Kai does, and Kai has a feeling that in someway, somehow, Rey had lent Kai some of her own strength. 

“What was that?” Rey asks, her voice hushed as she slowly glances at Kai.

“The Force.” Kai responds, leaning her head back against the hammock. Her blaster wound still stings, but the absence of the stab wound is a relief. Kai knows she probably shouldn’t stand, but despite her exhaustion she doesn’t want to be on her back for much longer. She slowly returns to a sitting position and swings her legs over the side. 

“Please don’t try this again,” Rey starts, but Kai holds up a hand and gives Rey a look that seems to say ‘ _ please let me try’ _ . Rey draws her lips into a thin, frustrated line; but she watches Kai lean some of her weight upon the platforms of her feet as she pushes herself upright. Her organic leg buckles a little, but this time it holds. She presses her hand against the wall, casting Rey a thankful look before she glances back at her clothes. 

“Can you help me?” Kai asks, gesturing to her clothes as she steadies herself against the wall. Rey nods, and she retrieves Kai’s belongings for her. Kai slowly, painfully shrugs her robes on. The blaster wound on her hip screams in pain as Kai twists and pulls the fabric over her shoulders and body- but she feels less exposed once she’s clothed, not that she doesn’t… well, it’s odd to think about but Kai doesn’t distrust Rey. Not yet, anyway. 

“I found this on you,” Rey says after a while, drawing something from the pouch on her hip. It’s a necklace chain, but attached to it is Kai’s most prized- and only- possession. It’s a gold-and-red signet ring, one that Kai can remember someone important giving to her… but she can’t quite remember  _ who  _ or  _ why _ . Kai takes the chain, admiring it, and slips it around her neck. She clutches the ring part in her palm, taking comfort in its return.

“Were you going to sell it?” Kai asks, bitterness entering her voice, but Rey shakes her head.

“No.” She says. “I cleaned it for you.” Kai frowns and glances downward, and finds that Rey is correct. All and any rust has been eliminated from the metal chain, as well as the ring. Kai blinks, surprised at the kind gesture, and she slowly offers a nod.

“Thank you.” Kai replies, slowly releasing the ring. “I… don’t know how to repay you.”

“You don’t have to.” Rey tells Kai, offering her a half-smile. She walks around Kai, and sets the pouch beneath the hammock. Slowly, Rey sits down in the hammock and watches Kai curiously. Kai wonders if Rey still thinks she’s a trader. Deep down, for some reason, Kai hopes she does. Maybe she doesn’t want to go back to her old life. 

“You’re tired. Sleep.” Kai states as she slowly sits upon the ground. 

“What about you?” Rey asks, tilting her head. 

“I’ll be alright. Just sleep.” Kai responds. Rey considers this. She watches Kai carefully, as if making a sort of judgement upon her, and Kai watches right back. After a few moments, Rey reaches behind her and takes Kai’s lightsaber in her hands. At first, a dark thought in the back of Kai’s mind says that Rey is going to kill her. The blade end of the saber is pointed directly at her, and all Rey would have to do is ignite the saber and Kai would be no longer. But she doesn’t. Instead, Rey slowly turns the saber around, offering Kai the hilted part. Kai accepts it and slowly sets it beside her. Rey lays down, turning her back to Kai. Kai watches carefully, curiously, but she doesn’t move- her body doesn’t want to. Instead, once she hears Rey’s breathing even out and she senses Rey’s steadying consciousness she turns her attention to the exit of the AT-AT.

She contemplates leaving for a long while. She knows that, eventually, people may come for her. Her proprietors will send for Kai’s retrieval eventually, and Rey will be there… caught in the middle. It would be so easy for Kai to just… get up and leave, to head into the desert, to disappear. At least Rey would be safe, at least Kai wouldn’t have to hurt anyone ever again. 

Kai is about to get up and leave once and for all when something deep within her stops her. It’s a feeling, and while she doesn’t receive a Force vision she sees a flash of… something. A very bright flash, a flash of a sunset and a hand holding her own, shoots into Kai’s mind and keeps her in place. She can’t leave, can she? Her gaze slowly returns to Rey’s sleeping form, and her features twist into confusion and concern. 

“I don’t understand.” She mutters to herself, taking the ring in her palm again. She clutches it for support, unsure, and hopes to get an answer- but there’s nothing, no Force call, no vision.

* * *

No dreams come to her this time. Her sleep is empty and rewarding, and perhaps she doesn’t dream because she’s too tired to actually comprehend anything. She’s later awakened by Rey, who taps Kai on the shoulder with her staff. Kai groans, batting it away, and opens a groggy eye to peer at Rey. Sunlight filters into the AT-AT, and Kai’s neck and back are slightly stiff from sleeping in a sitting position.

“What?” Kai groans, frustrated that her only  _ decent  _ sleep has been interrupted. But still, Rey seems relieved when Kai speaks.

“I thought you were dead.” Rey sighs, offering Kai her hand to help her up. Kai takes it, slowly climbing to her feet. She feels better than she has since she woke up, since she apparently  _ died _ , and she’s glad to find that she can stand on her own feet with less difficulty than before.

“Thanks.” Kai murmurs with a nod, slowly releasing Rey’s hand. Kai’s blood still stains Rey’s skin and her own, and Rey offers an affirmative nod. She walks across the room and grabs a metal canister from her pouch, offering it to Kai.

“I forgot to give this to you earlier.” Rey says. “We, uh.. Well, I didn’t expect you to almost bleed out last night.” Kai takes the canister curiously. Water sloshes around inside, and it’s then that Kai realizes how parched she is. Kai unscrews the lid of the canister and hurriedly brings it to her lips. The water is cool against her lips and she takes a couple long draughts before she realizes Rey is staring at her longingly. Kai stops drinking, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Don’t you have one?” Kai asks, concerned, and it dawns on her that Kai is drinking from Rey’s canister. There is only one. Kai stares down at the metal cylinder in her hand, and though she wants to chug all the water on her own, she knows she can’t. It isn’t right, especially after Rey’s fed and helped her. Kai shakes her head and shoves the canister back to Rey, “I can’t take this.” 

“I don’t under-?” Rey begins but Kai cuts her off.

“It’s your water. You worked for it.” Kai responds. “I haven’t.” Rey stares at Kai for a good long while. Kai knows that Rey must think she’s crazy for refusing water on a  _ desert planet _ , but Kai can’t drink Rey’s water knowing she won’t get any.

“Then we’ll share it,” Rey decides, her words slow- as if she’s not sure if she should be saying this to Kai-, “and you can earn your own. I can get more work done with an extra pair of hands.” 

“You want me to help you?” Kai asks, and though she sounds offended it’s quite the opposite. Rey is extending a metaphorical hand to Kai in partnership, asking her to stay… to help. Kai realizes she’s getting a second chance, she’s getting a new life. 

“If you want to.” Rey responds with a curt nod. “I could use your help.”

“I don’t know much about machines or scavenging…” Kai trails off, wondering if Rey will rescind her deal, but she doesn’t- which surprises Kai.

“Then I can teach you.” Rey responds. Kai regards Rey carefully, curiously, before she nods and offers Rey her hand to shake. Rey shakes it firmly, and their deal is sealed. “How are you feeling?” 

“Better than I have in a long time.” Kai tells Rey, and she means it. 

Maybe she’s wrong. Maybe no one will come for her, maybe no one will look for her. Kai decides she wouldn’t mind if she was forgotten, she wouldn’t mind. She’s been looking for a way out anyway, and maybe… just maybe… she’s found it.


End file.
